Zoe Sugg isn’t a household name in the United States. But she’s recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in England—thanks in large measure to her massive YouTube platform.
As with so many successful vloggers (video bloggers), Zoe combines likability, approachability and stylishness. She currently has two YouTube channels, Zoella and Zoe Sugg. The first, started in 2007, focuses on largely on fashion and beauty videos in chatty, conversational style. Indeed, her motto on that channel is “Life, Beauty & Chats.” Her Zoe Sugg channel, launched in 2012, is subtitled “A Little Bit of Everything.” It reflects a bit more mature point of view (Sugg is now 30), as Zoe talks about life, home décor and … well, basically whatever she happens to be doing.
Especially popular on both channels are Zoe’s Christmas themed “Vlogmas” videos, which dive into various festive, holiday-related themes. A recent commenter on one of this year’s posts said happily, “My Christmas Tradition – Watching Zoe’s Vlogmas.”
Her enormous audience—the Zoella channel has notched more than a billion views—clearly identifies with Zoe and appreciates her guidance on beauty and life issues. And while Zoe admits that her audience is mostly older than 18, she has at times done posts that address teen questions as well on areas such as relationships, hormones and body image.
Zoe largely addresses beauty and appearance related topics. But at times, she goes a bit deeper, talking about her own anxiety and mental health issues.
And in a Q&A post about teenage hormones and how to cope, Zoe observes that teenagers are in a time where they “feel the feels” in extreme ways, with mood swings between highs and lows.
Zoe isn’t a child psychologist, obviously, but she counsels teens finding someplace where they can “chill” without having to feel the pressure of performing for and earning the affections of others.
There aren’t too many content concerns about the specifics of what Zoe says and does. That said, the focus of her YouTube channels is largely on style and appearance; and it’s possible that one unintended negative outcome of engaging in too much of this content is people feeling badly about themselves—though I suspect Zoe would say that’s exactly the opposite of what she’s hoping to accomplish.
Zoe Suggs is a talented, attractive and clearly hard-working entrepreuner who makes style and beauty seem accessible for anyone. She’s the kind of person I can easily see her fans wanting to relate to, to hang out with, to get to know. For parents with young fans, it’s important to help them ponder how they’re processing the kind of beauty and and style advice she dishes out in her many videos.
Note: Plugged In’s YouTube channel reviews are not exhaustive summaries of everything viewers will find, but a representative sample of recent videos to give you a sense of the kinds of things you might expect to see.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
